Worcestershire displayed plenty of endeavour to take five wickets against Northamptonshire on day two of the Rothesay County Championship clash at the County Ground, but a spirited bowling effort went somewhat unrewarded as the Pears were unable to capitalise on key chances in the field.
On a docile surface, Tom Taylor (2-60) bowled with his usual discipline to claim the scalps of Procter and Saif Zaib, whilst Beyers Swanepoel also claimed a brace of wickets in another resolute effort with the ball.
Ethan Brookes chipped in with a solitary wicket in the face of a Ricardo Vasconcelos hundred, but four dropped catches dented the away side’s progress on day two.
With play brought to a close prematurely due to bad light, the visitors will resume day three needing five more Northants wickets before attention turns to batting again.
The visitors made the ideal start to proceedings on the second morning, as Tom Taylor got a ball to jump off a length from around the wicket to the left-handed Procter, finding its way to Ethan Brookes at second slip, who took a sharp reaction catch with just nine runs added to the overnight total.
Keen to cash in on their early breakthrough, Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Taylor continued to search for openings on a flat wicket at the County Ground, but with Vasconcelos in and set, opportunities were few and far between for the away side.
Beyers Swanepoel and the returning Adam Finch entered the fray, with both bowlers posing plenty of questions to the Northants batters, as the docile nature of the pitch continued to make life hard for the away side.
With the scoreboard edging towards 100, and Brett D’Oliveira shuffling his pack, the pivotal moment came courtesy of the aforementioned Swanepoel in the 32nd over of the innings.
The skiddy right-arm seamer prolonged his examination of Calvin Harrison outside his off stump, before finally sneaking through his defences with a ball that stayed low, catching the inside edge of the top-order’s bat to career onto off-stump and end his cameo for a run a ball 27.
Despite the best efforts of Matthew Waite and Hannon-Dalby either side of the interval, the away side endured a challenging period midway through the day, with the duo’s respective hunt for more scalps ultimately going unrewarded.
Ethan Brookes, often Worcestershire’s go-to man with the ball, came into the attack for a three-over spell as D’Oliveira once again tried to change the momentum of the day, with Northamptonshire passing 150 early in the afternoon session.
Swanepoel’s return sparked the next big moment for the visitors when the South African claimed the third wicket of the innings.
Changing his ploy, the seamer brought his length back to Nathan McSweeney, with a well-directed short ball flying off the top edge of the Australian’s bat as his attempted hook shot could only find its way to Hannon-Dalby, with the man stationed at long leg making no mistake with a straightforward catch.
New man Saif Zaib offered an early chance in single figures when he edged behind, but Gareth Roderick was unable to grasp a low chance as he dived towards first slip.
Vasconcelos, a thorn in the side of Worcestershire’s bowling unit from the outset, continued his excellent individual repost as he moved past 100, cutting the Worcestershire lead to just 84 in the process.
Into the attack for the first time in the match, it was skipper D’Oliveira who had an early shout for LBW turned down in the 74th over when Saif Zaib played around a full delivery that wrapped him on the front pad, but the captain could only watch on as his appeals were waved away by Umpire Sue Redfern, as the search for an elusive fourth wicket went on.
The visitor’s frustration soon turned to relief, however, as just eight balls later Ethan Brookes angled a ball back at Vasconcelos to beat his defences on 115, as a determined Pears outfit once again looked to capitalise with their opponents 270-4.
Entering Tea 280-4, the deficit between the sides was just 26, but with ample time left in the day, a crucial evening session lay in wait for the visitors.
Returning from the interval with a renewed vigour, Tom Taylor showed his class just five overs into the evening session as he accounted for Zaib, with the left-hander paying for his indecision, feathering a ball from around the wicket into the gloves of Gareth Roderick during his efforts to leave the ball as Worcestershire grabbed a well-deserved fifth wicket.
Taylor created another chance soon after, when new man George Bartlett miscued a loose drive, but Brookes was unable to hold onto a tough chance at second slip despite an acrobatic effort over his head.
As the evening drew on, the home side drew level and eventually edged past the Pear’s total, with the next big chance falling the way of D’Oliveira at short extra cover shortly after the floodlights had come into effect late in the day.
A mistimed drive from Sales offered the chance for the Worcestershire skipper to claim his scalp, but the captain was unable to hold on at full stretch.
With the light fading and rain circling, discussions between umpires Sue Redfern and Neil Pratt resulted in play being brought to a premature end, with Worcestershire’s valiant efforts throughout the day yielding five wickets, but with more work to do as Northants closed 60 runs in front on 366-5.
